DSC_2091 - Mikoyan MiG-29G (NATO Reporting Name FULCRUM), 29+03, Militärhistorisches Museum Flugplatz Berlin-Gatow, 26th March 2024.
The former East German Air Force operated 24 MiG-29s, all were absorbed into the Luftwaffe upon reunification. In Luftwaffe service, one crashed, 22 were sold to Poland in 2003 for one Euro each. This airframe is the only remaining German MiG-29 in Germany. It was previously on display in Laage before being moved to the Luftwaffenmuseum der Bundeswehr (since renamed the (Militärhistorisches Museum Flugplatz Berlin-Gatow) in 2006 as part of the exhibition "50 Jahre Luftwaffe".
The MiG-29G variant was the result of reworking the former East German MiG-29As (and MiG-29UBs) and upgrading them to NATO standards. This work was carried out by MiG Aircraft Product Support GmbH (MAPS), a joint venture company formed between MiG Moscow Aviation Production Association and DaimlerChrysler Aerospace in 1993. That might sound impressive, however, bear in mind that the East German MiG-29s were downgraded export models of the earliest model MiG-29. The only worse examples were the aircraft exported to allies outside of the Warsaw pact which basically had MiG-23 radars and other equipment. Therefore, the German MiG-29 had quite poor avionics, also, in terms of medium range missile armament they only got the Vympel R-27Rs (AA-10 'Alamo'), they never got R-27ERs, or for that matter R-27Ts or R-27ETs. To avoid jeopardising any future Eurofighter purchases there were no performance upgrades available for these MiGs. As such, it begs the question how capable the MiG-29 could have been, had the full capabilities of Western engine and avionics manufacturers been unleashed.
DSC_2091 - Mikoyan MiG-29G (NATO Reporting Name FULCRUM), 29+03, Militärhistorisches Museum Flugplatz Berlin-Gatow, 26th March 2024.
The former East German Air Force operated 24 MiG-29s, all were absorbed into the Luftwaffe upon reunification. In Luftwaffe service, one crashed, 22 were sold to Poland in 2003 for one Euro each. This airframe is the only remaining German MiG-29 in Germany. It was previously on display in Laage before being moved to the Luftwaffenmuseum der Bundeswehr (since renamed the (Militärhistorisches Museum Flugplatz Berlin-Gatow) in 2006 as part of the exhibition "50 Jahre Luftwaffe".
The MiG-29G variant was the result of reworking the former East German MiG-29As (and MiG-29UBs) and upgrading them to NATO standards. This work was carried out by MiG Aircraft Product Support GmbH (MAPS), a joint venture company formed between MiG Moscow Aviation Production Association and DaimlerChrysler Aerospace in 1993. That might sound impressive, however, bear in mind that the East German MiG-29s were downgraded export models of the earliest model MiG-29. The only worse examples were the aircraft exported to allies outside of the Warsaw pact which basically had MiG-23 radars and other equipment. Therefore, the German MiG-29 had quite poor avionics, also, in terms of medium range missile armament they only got the Vympel R-27Rs (AA-10 'Alamo'), they never got R-27ERs, or for that matter R-27Ts or R-27ETs. To avoid jeopardising any future Eurofighter purchases there were no performance upgrades available for these MiGs. As such, it begs the question how capable the MiG-29 could have been, had the full capabilities of Western engine and avionics manufacturers been unleashed.